The Figure Skater
by Storybookwriter
Summary: Warning: Contains Romano and Yaoi. Kiku Honda is a rising figure skater. His sport is is passion, but he doesn't like the fans and reporters that come along with it. When he travels to Montreal for another tournament he meets a set of twins; Alfred and Matthew. Alfred is like his friend Feliciano Vargas but Matthew is like Kiku himself...Kiku is intrigued.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So...this is somewhat of an experiment. I ship CanadaxJapan. Weird, I know, but there's not enough of them.

* * *

The despite the fact that the coliseum was filled to near capacity, you could hear a pin drop. Unlike most sports where the fans would be cheering, booing and more than likely – drunk, figure-skating was full of people that knew how to behave in an appropriate, formal fashion. That was one of the reasons why Kiku was drawn to it.

Feliciano was on the ice, dancing to a quick-paced piece in which he had interpreted to leap and spin all over the place. In fact, Feliciano often chose songs that were fast so he had an excuse to triple spins in the air and five consecutive jumps. Kiku though, enjoyed songs which allowed him to exhibit is natural flexibility (and less likely to crack his skull open on the ice).

The song ended and an applause rose from the audience with scattered cheers. Feliciano bowed and skated off the ice to meet his trainer, his older brother, Ludwig and Kiku. Sweat shown on his face and his trademark grin never faltered.

Ludwig, his trainer and Kiku praised Feliciano with many variations of "That was amazing" and "You were fantastic!". Feliciano's brother though did congratulate him, was less obvious. His praise was in the form of: "That wasn't so bad, bastard." Most would have interpreted the comment as rude and offensive but it was a complement and years of living with Lovino had taught him that it should be perceived as such.

Feliciano nearly threw himself on Lovino.

"That doesn't mean "hug me" you dip-shit!"

Feliciano ignored the comment and turned to Kiku.

"You're coming up Kiku!"

Kiku nodded, feeling the knot in his stomach returning.

"Don't worry. You'll do fine."

Ludwig clapped him on the shoulder.

There were still a few more people to go before him. He would simply have to go into his happy place until then.

* * *

From the kitchen, Matthew could hear Beethoven playing from his living room, which wouldn't have been much of a surprise except one thing, had to be taken into consideration – Gilbert and Alfred were there. Something Matthew and many others could assure that had never happened during the length of their existence thus far. Over the music the voice of an unknown announcer alternates from high to low. Matthew rolled his eyes. If his best friend and brother were going to listen to _any_ form of classical music, it was going to be through sports. Still….what sport consisted of classical music playing instead of the popular tunes and the occasional _Star Wars_ theme? Matthew couldn't think of one.

"Hey, what are you guys watching?"

"Male figure-skating."

" _What_?!"

It wasn't as much as Matthew didn't hear, as much as the whole WTFness of it all. For people who often came over to watch men (and women) knock each other into submission or unconsciousness, or both, male figure-skating were something no one could foresee them watching willingly.

"Male figure-skating." Alfred repeated. "You've got to take a look at this Norwegian kid. He's really good."

"Why the hell are you guys watching male figure?"

"My brother's boyfriend was performing. But it's actually really good." Gilbert replied, taking a swig of beer. "You remember Feliciano right?"

"You mean that bubbly Italian?"

Gilbert nodded.

"His friend is also performing as well. Kiku Honda. He's representing Japan – say there he is now."

Matthew abandoned the swimming spaghetti noodles and stepped into the living room. On the flat screen a boy – or man so to speak— was holding his left leg up in a near perfect ninety-degree angle and was rotating faster than Francis in a room full of people. On the bottom of the screen, the man's name was written. "Kiku Honda".

"Damn." Alfred muttered, but since it was drawn out it sounded more like "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanm."

"He's tiny. Even smaller than Feliciano." Matthew noted.

"Yeah, but he's super mobile. Look at him! He would make a mad _Twister_ player!"Alfred exclaimed as Kiku Honda performed a few more manoeuvres consisting of more forms of splits than Matthew knew existed.

Matthew only chuckled before returning back into the kitchen.

"What's so funny?" Alfred demanded.

"I never thought I'd see the day that the two who crave more violence than Chara and Merchant combined would watch male figure-skating and _enjoy_ it. I can finally call Elizaveta that you guys can finally watch something that didn't consist of blood oozing out in gallons out of the human body."

"Hey, she's just a bad as me."

Matthew snorted.

"Besides, "Alfred added. "Maybe one day someone will fall and break something!"

"Sadism." Matthew breathed shaking his head as he stirred the noodles.

* * *

Ludwig watched as Feliciano's head dropped onto Kiku's shoulder, slipping in what one would assume would be a light an uncomfortable slumber as planes usually provided. Ludwig knew better though. Feliciano could, with no form of exaggeration, fall asleep at any given moment. The place or time didn't matter. It was an ability that blessed only a small population of Planet Earth.

Kiku was asleep too, which was the reason why Feliciano hadn't been shoved off. Ludwig wondered briefly if he should keep them awake until at least they had landed in the airport, but decided against it. Both were utterly exhausted from the tournament and had to ready themselves for another one.

The pilot announced that the plane was descending into Montreal around forty and the lights flickered on, rousing the lethargic passengers. Feliciano blinked, rubbing his eyes and stretching with Kiku echoing his movements.

Once the plane and landed, Ludwig sent a short text to Gilbert.

 **To: Dumkoft.**

 _We've landed. Be prepared to carry more baggage other than the ones that were shipped from Norway._

Gilbert was there waiting from them at the baggage claim. For once he wasn't making them wait for hours on it.

Kiku was stumbling behind him dragging his suitcase and Feliciano has long since abandoned the use of his legs. He was practically crawling through the airport until Ludwig finally grabbed him and tossed him over his shoulder.

Gilbert gave one glance to Kiku before taking his bag plus the bags of Ludwig and Feliciano.

"Nice to see you again bro."

Ludwig and Gilbert hugged around the sleeping body of Feliciano Vargas.

"Man I could drop dead at any moment…" Ludwig mumbled readjusting Feliciano.

"Kiku's about to at least."

Gilbert jerked his white head towards the Japanese man, who was nodding off on a bench nearby.

"We better get them into a bed quickly."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello. Canada and Japan fans who feel indivisible, this story is for you! Feel free to post comments for your feedback.

* * *

Matthew didn't watch the results of who won the figure-skating champions, but that Japanese was mentioned more than once in the sports section of newspapers all around, and was the topic of discussion on many talk-shows. So ,Matthew assumed he did rather well. He found out later that day that Kiku Honda got 1st place.

There was some other news as well. Another figure-skating tournament would be held right in their city and Feliciano along with Gilbert's brother Ludwig would be flying with Kiku. They would be staying at Gilbert's place.

Matthew had decided to intentionally avoid Gilbert and his house for the next few days, to give Ludwig, Feliciano and Kiku a few days to adjust to the jetlag. Alfred on the other hand, was anxious to see "Luddy" and "Feli" again and to meet the "new kid" whose name Alfred had already abbreviated to "Keek". No matter how much Matthew tried to convince his brother to leave them be, Alfred had already drove off to Gilbert's house at eleven in the morning. Matthew, determined to give the newcomers their space, had taken his tattered hockey skates and book-bag for the courses he would be attending afterwards and went in the opposite direction to the hockey rink.

* * *

Ludwig downed his sixth cup of coffee when the front door smashed open. Ludwig leapt to his feet, overturning the chair and dropping his mug as he did so. The mug didn't shatter, but hot coffee pooled around his feet.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Ludwig said waspishly jumping as the hot liquid touched him.

"Dude, it's been like forever! Where's Feli and Keek?"

" "Keek"?" Ludwig echoed raising an eyebrow.

"My new nickname for Kiku. Do you think he'll like it?"

"You've never even met the man and you're already giving him a nickname?"

"I asked a question first."

Ludwig exhaled sharply while putting a hand to his brow.

"Feliciano and Kiku are practicing at a rink for the tournament. That _is_ the reason why we're here after all."

Sounds of footsteps stumbling down the stairs could be heard. Then Gilbert stuck his head into the kitchen.

"What's with all of the noise? I was sleeping…"

"Hey! Gil! Which rink are Feli and Kiku practicing at?"

"The rink that Mattie and I usually go to every morning before work. I decided to skip out because I was up picking up them up at like two o'clock in the morning."

"One thirty." Ludwig corrected as he cleaned up the coffee spill.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Gilbert mumbled as he stepped over Ludwig to pour himself the remaining coffee in the pot.

"I don't know how Kiku and Feliciano do it." Gilbert continued. "Up half the night on a plane and their already practicing."

"Life of a professional I guess." Alfred said.

"Say, where _is_ Matthew?" Ludwig questioned as he deposited the mug in the dishwasher after making sure there were no cracks that would deem it unusable.

"He went off to the rink this morning. Something about "letting you guys recover from the jetlag"."

"It's called "being considerate". Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Not likely Luddy."

Ludwig groaned at the nickname and turned to Gilbert.

"You started this."

"I'm your older brother I have rights."

There was a second of silence before some unidentifiable sound could be heard from Gilbert's phone.

"That was from Mattie. He says: "Hey. Feel free to kick Alfred out of the house if you have to. It's not fair that your guests have to adjust to the time zone _and_ deal with Alfred at the same time."".

Ludwig approached Alfred.

"I'll kick him out, but in a different way than Matthew implies. Can you go and pick up Feliciano and Kiku. They've been practicing since seven in the morning and it's just about to end.

Alfred beamed.

When Alfred finally pulled his car out of the driveway, Ludwig plopped back at the kitchen table.

"Hey Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Matthew as nice as it is to allow us time to relax and adjust without trouble, his company will be required and he needs to get his Canadian ass over here as soon as he can."

* * *

Feliciano twirling his way across the ice when he noticed Kiku dug his skates into the ice, coming to a complete stop. Feliciano twisted his body to stop and quietly approached the back of Kiku. He was staring at someone. Using the picks located at the front of his skates to expertly balance himself on his tippy-toes, the craned over the top of Kiku's head and almost immediately, a devious grin spread across his face.

One couldn't see the man's face well due to the caged-helmet, but the red hoodie and the hockey gloves immediately gave himself away.

Kiku's gaze followed Matthew until he had disappeared behind a set of doors. Feliciano then decided to make his presence known.

"So um...handsome man isn't he?"

Kiku jerked around so fast, he nearly lost his balance.

"Feliciano-kun, don't scare me like that!"

"What of that person? Did we develop a three-second crush "

Feliciano playfully nudged his arm.

Kiku could feel heat crawling up his neck and into his face.

"It wasn't a "three-second crush"!"

Feliciano blinked.

"What?"

"We made eye-contact for a brief second. He smiled and waved slightly. They're unusual; this deep purple I've never really seen before. It's nothing."

"Oh. That's too bad. I suppose you won't be interested in who that was. I know him."

Feliciano almost laughed at the look in Kiku's eyes. He may be oblivious is many things, but when it came to romance, he and Francis shared the throne.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I just realized how far I'm into this story. Don't get angry. I'm in eleventh grade don't expect constant updates. Also, I procrastinate a lot. Sorry.

When Alfred was approaching building of ice rinks, he sent Matthew a text.

 **To: Canadian Bacon.**

 **Hey I'm here to pick up Feli and Keek. Do you need a ride?**

He got a text back a few seconds later.

 **From: Canadian Bacon.**

 **Nah. I'm going to walk to school and then to work. Thanks though. "Keek"? Are you serious?**

 **To: Canadian Bacon**

 **Yes.**

Alfred slipped his phone into his back pocket as he entered into the building. As he was texting, he almost smacked into one of three doors leading into the building.

 _Ah….so this is the reason why texting-driving laws exist._

In the building, there were two doors leading to two rinks. In between the two rinks, there were two more. The staircase ascending to the second floor had a few party rooms and a bar for people to enjoy the shows below all the while, staying warm and drinking a beer or some other alcoholic beverage.

On a giant flat-screen it flashed the different schedules for each of the rink. For Rink C, the rink squeezed between Rink B and Rink D, figure-skating training was ending at twelve. Alfred checked his watch. Twelve-fifteen.

 _Hmmm….I'm not too late._

Alfred slipped through the door of Rink D, carefully avoiding the skates of half-dressed hockey players as he made his way to the door with a giant red "C" on it. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the hockey players skating on the newly cleaned ice and was briefly reminded of Mattie in their high school days.

"Alfie!"

Feliciano tackled Alfred almost as soon as he entered through the door.

"Dude, it's so good to see you again! I saw you on television! You were practically flying!"

"I wasn't as good as Kiku over there! He blew everyone away."

For the first time, Alfred noticed Kiku, hanging in the background like a lonely ghost.

"He's that Japanese kid that won the tournament!"

"Yes! He is amazing! This is Kiku Honda."

Kiku shyly approached the duo and extended his hand. Alfred received it and shook rigorously.

"I'm Alfred! It's nice to meet you bro!"

Kiku just stood there dumbstruck by the amount of energy that this person had.

 _Did he have too much sugar and/or coffee? Or possibly some form of marijuana?_

"I-it's nice to meet you Alfred-san. My name is Kiku Honda."

"You mean like the car Honda?"

Kiku blushed a nodded his head.

"Hey Alfred, where's Matthew?"

Kiku blinked in confusion.

"He walked to school and he's going to walk to his job afterwards. If he asks for a lift home you're more than welcome to join."

Feliciano seemed pleased.

"It's been a while since I've seen Mattie." He turned to Japan. "Would you like to come Kiku?"

"Who's Matthew?"

"He's my semi-identical twin."

There's another one?!

Kiku had to prevent a look of horror from crossing his face. A Gilbert, a Feliciano and an Alfred? There was no way he could deal with another one.

 _Damn, I knew I should've stayed at a hotel…_

Matthew had nearly fallen asleep in class when something lightweight struck the side of his head. Matthew jerked up, glancing around frantically before his casting his eyes down and noticing the wad of paper at his feet. The note was in Natalya's handwriting:

 _Is it true? Do you know Feliciano Vargas and Kiku Honda?_

Matthew turned slightly in his seat to make eye contact with his friend. Her purple eyes gazed expectantly beside him.

Matthew wrote a reply.

 _Yeah well….Feliciano at least. He's the boyfriend of my best friend's brother. They've come to visit many times between breaks in their tournaments so I know him a little bit. I've never met Kiku Honda though._

He slid the note of Natalya as discreetly he thought possible.

 _But you will, won't you?_

Matthew shrugged his shoulders, while making eye-contact with Natalya.

I don't know. Maybe. I'm giving them time to adjust at the moment, so we'll see.

As Natalya read his response, Matthew's phone vibrated in his pocket.

 **From: Badass Broom Guitarist**

 **Luddy just told me to tell you and I quote: "Tell Matthew as nice as it is to allow us time to relax and adjust without trouble, his company will be required and he needs to get his Canadian ass over here as soon as he can."**

Matthew made sure that the professor wasn't looking as he rapidly tapped the keys on the screen.

 **To: Badass Broom Guitarist**

 **There's not much I can do about it today. I can come around earliest I can come is eight, if he wants.**

Matthew only got a few minutes of peace before his phone vibrated again. This time it was from an unfamiliar number, but he knew it was from.

 **From: (506) 657- 3394** (A/N: NOT an actual number as far as I know. DO NOT try to call this number. To those who have this number, my sincerest apologies.)

 **I don't want Kiku to be engulfed by Feliciano, Alfred and Gilbert. The kid will have a nervous breakdown before the tournament even begins.**

Matthew added Ludwig as a contact and changed the contact number into a name.

 **To: O.C.D (#2)**

 **Like I said before, you can kick Alfred out of the house if need be. I can't blame him though. They're like energy vampires. They suck everything from your body, leaving you like an exhausted old man.**

Kiku had never been so happy to see Ludwig in his life. But then again, if you were stuck in a car with Feliciano and Alfred singing to the blaring music, you'd want to escape too.

But there was one thing. He wasn't going to be stuck in a room with two Alfreds, a Feliciano and Gilbert. Nope, there was no way this was happening.

He had half expected Alfred number two to be there to raise as much Hell as Alfred number one did, but there was no sign of him when he went into Gilbert's apartment. He then remembered what Alfred said about his semi-twin (whatever that meant) being at school then going to work. Well, if all went well, he wouldn't have to meet him today.

When Kiku came through the door he went straight to the guest bedroom reserved to him and locked the door. Finally. Silence.

Though the distance and the sealed door muffled Alfred's voice, he could still make out the words. Kiku seemed quiet and not so sociable, he said.

Damn straight.

Kiku crawled under his blanket to watch anime by only the light of the computer.

Almost as soon as the course had ended, Toris entered, his book-bag hanging on one shoulder.

Natalya abandoned her messenger bag and neatly placed a kiss on her boyfriend's lips.

"How was school?" He asked her when they broke apart.

"Not too bad. I found out that Matvey knows Feliciano Vargas."

"Oh, you mean that Italian figure skater?" Toris blinked, looking at Matthew. "How come this is the first time we're hearing of this?"

"I didn't think it was important." Matthew shrugged his shoulders as he slipped his laptop into his bag.

"I don't follow figure skating that much until there's a huge tournament. My friend's brother is the boyfriend of Feliciano as so sometimes we'll watch them together. Now if it was hockey on the other hand..."

Natalya rolled her eyes.

"Come to think of it...How did you find out about Feliciano and Kiku - well Feliciano at least, were acquaintances?"

"I have my sources." Natalya smirked.

Toris mouthed the word "Tabloids" and Matthew snorted when Natalya punched Toris's shoulder.

"Well Matthew? We should get going. Eduard's not going to be happy if we miss our shift."


	4. Chapter 4

Francis was in the middle of a tutoring session when his phone vibrated in this pocket. As it was against his policy to answer texts or the phone during a lesson with a student, he ignored it and continued to teach as if nothing had happened. Only when the student was picked up by his parent, did he scroll through his unread texts.

 _Let's see...Arthur called me "Francy-pants", Gilbert's spouting his usual bullshit - Quoi? Qu'est que-ce?_

On his screen in all caps lock was a message from Feliciano.

 **From: Feliciano Vargas**

 **EMERGENCY. PLEASE CALL ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!**

Despite its dramatic appearance, Francis knew that it was everything but an emergency. For Feliciano, an emergency could range from the tearing of a costume, to a snap, tor an actual emergency. There had only been one "actual emergency" when he sprained his ankle, but that had been two years ago. Since then there had been at least a hundred "emergencies".

Francis sighed and tapped on Feliciano's number for speed dial. Feliciano answered after only one ring.

"What's wrong _mon ami_? Do you require more sparkles for your costume?"

"Francis! Have I got news for you!"

Francis pulled the phone from his ear to prevent further assault on his eardrums.

"What is it?"

"I caught my friend staring at Matthew!"

"Your friend...?"

"Kiku!"

Feliciano sounded like he would burst from the excitement.

"You know, that Japanese figure skater that's been on the news as of late?"

Francis dropped onto the couch to absorb the shock that had been delivered to his system.

"Really?!"

"It wasn't just a simple glance. Kiku watched him until he you couldn't see him anymore! Apparently, they made eye-contact and Matthew waved. Kiku likes his eyes."

"Liking the eyes is just a small step Feli."

"I know which is why I needed to talk to you; I know you've been trying to hook up Matthew for years and here comes Kiku, whose interest is just beginning to grow."

A smirk played in Francis's lips.

"I see. So after all of these years, we're going to play _match-maker_?"

"You damn right we are! And it's about time!"

In the midst of stocking the new shipments of the _Fifty Shades of Grey_ trilogy on their designated shelves in the Erotica section (a job that Matthew was sure that Eduard had given him to get back at him for being late on his last shift), his phone vibrated in his back pocket.

 **From: Burger King**

 **Matt. Do you need me to pick you up from work?**

Making sure that Eduard was nowhere to be seen, he slipped behind a set of shelves and texted out a quick response.

 **To: Burger King**

 **Yes please. I'm a bit worn out from today.**

Stuffing his phone into his back pocket, he slipped as discreetly back into the Teen Section and continued stacking the boxes of what he regarded as "ways not to treat your significant other"onto the shelves. He stopped, letting his face set into an expression of disgust. An expression that appeared unnatural to Eduard, whom was checking on his employee's progress.

"Williams, you are not here to judge the books that have been written, but to stack them and help customers look for what they want."

Matthew stared at the book for another second before turning to his boss.

"Yes sir."

Matthew glared back at the book before putting it on the shelf.

 _I can't believe anyone would use Twilight as an inspiration._

"Hey Matthew, this woman is inquiring about a book of poems by Robert Frost can you help her?" Toris called.

Matthew turned to the woman and smiled his close-eyed smile.

"Of course I can."

 _Finally. Someone who has a good taste in literature._

Kiku was still trying to figure out how he was convinced to get into the car. He didn't particularly enjoy people in general and yet, here he was, on his way to meet a person he wasn't too keen on meeting.

He supposed it was the fact that it was a bookstore that was the final push so to speak. He liked books and bookstores were quiet in comparison to most shops. In such an environment, it couldn't be _that_ bad..right?

Alfred pulled into a parking lot. The store was bigger than he expected. Bookstores, unless famous or something along those lines, were never all that large. In this case, the store was a part of a mall, and as a result all sections must command magnificence to keep customers both regular and new entertained at all times with a variety of different selections.

"Come on!"

Kiku gasped when Feliciano and Alfred each grabbed and arm and half carried, half dragged him to the entrance of the store. Who was this man that both Alfred and Feliciano wanted to meet him badly?

The doors were automatic so no effort was made in opening them.

Alfred released Kiku's arm and cupped his hands around his mouth.

Kiku learned something that night.

Alfred could have a complete disregard for those around him.

"Mattiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Kiku sunk into the collar of his jacket when all heads turned to both glare and gawk at the person who would dare ruin such a quiet environment.

Alfred was cut short when a man seemly materialized from behind Alfred and struck the back of his head with a hardcover biography concerning Napoleon Bonaparte.

"Shut-up Alfred, this isn't the arena."

Alfred was on his knees clutching the back of his head while the man, platinum hair and blue eyes as dull as Kiku's brown ones, glared down at him.

The man suddenly turned his head and made eye-contact with Kiku. His eyes were blue and as dull as Kiku's brown ones were. His face betrayed no expression or thought, and when he addressed Kiku, his voice was as just as impassive as his face.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before. Are you a friend of Alfred's or Matthew's?"

Alfred suddenly jumped to his feet and wrapped an arm around Kiku's neck. Kiku's was breifly reminded of the bullies who would put him into similar headlocks in elementary school. The only difference was that he wasn't being forced face-first into a dirty toilet.

"Yes! This is my new friend Kiku Honda. We're just bringing him to meet Mattie."

"Pleased to meet you Kiku Honda. My name is Lukas." Lukas made a gesture to his name tag as he introduced himself.

"Alfred!"

A new voice.

A man in an identical uniform to Lukas stomped over and Kiku's eyes widened.

Two realizations sunk in and sent Kiku into a state of shock.

First: He was meeting the man from the rink.

Second: This man was the twin brother of Alfred, one of the most hyperactive people on the face of this Earth, next to Feliciano.

He could see why Alfred considered Matthew his "semi-identical twin". Matthew was both the same height and build as Alfred with matching facial features. There were few but precise differences that set them apart though. Matthew was paler and his tear took on more of a red tone as opposed the Alfred's blond hair. There were the eyes. Alfred's eyes were crystal whereas Matthew's, as mentioned before, were deep purple. Both were beautiful.

"How many times have I told you not to barge in here and disturb _everyone_ during _my_ shift?!"

The man Matthew, snatched Napoleon Bonaparte from Lukas and delivered another blow to Alfred's skull, this time on the top, as opposed to the back. He didn't seem to have taken notice to neither he or Feliciano.

 _Does he know that we're here?_

"Matthew!"

Kiku took a few cautious steps back as the book made the loud sound that hardcover books usually make with wooden floors as Feliciano latched onto Matthew.

 _Well…he does now…._

"What - ?! Feliciano what are you - "

Of course Feliciano's plan was to catch Matthew off guard, not giving him any time to process the information before being introduced. Both he and Francis agreed that love snuck up on you when you least expected it and when you were at your most vulnerable. Anyone could read Matthew's look of confusion with the way he stared dumbly at Feliciano, to Alfred and finally to Kiku. Well, there was probably not going to be another chance where Matthew was going to leave himself this wide open.

"Matthew, I want you to meet Kiku Honda!"

Matthew blinked in recognition of the man he waved to that morning.

"I know you. You're from the rink."

Matthew stuck out his right hand. Kiku tentatively shook it.

"My name is Matthew."

Matthew cast a glance over his shoulder to his brother who was once again crouched on the ground, nursing the new bump his head.

"I apologize for Alfred. Dealing with him for the first time is always traumatizing for people who are not used to... " Matthew made a gesture with his hands. "…that."

"He has…a lot of energy." Kiki admitted, choosing his words carefully, not wanting to offend Matthew.

"Yeah…between him and Gilbert, it can be rather exhausting."

Kiki tilted his head to the side.

"Gilbert-san? Really? He seems rather calm to me."

Matthew snorted.

"That's just because he's tired. Give him time. He'll prove you wrong."

Feliciano, who was displeased with the slow advancement of the conversation, threw himself back into the conversation.

"Mattie, do you want to join us for practice for tomorrow?"

Matthew snapped towards Feliciano, as did Kiku.

The idea caused a small knot of anxiety in the pit of Matthew's stomach. He loved hockey, but was never serious in making it his career, only playing street or pond hockey with his friends and Alfred. He was not a skater like Feliciano and Kiku, and feared that he would lose his balance and crash into one of them, ending their careers as professional figure skaters. Grant it, Matthew could skate better than he took credit for, and there was a low risk of an accident occurring, but that didn't stop his brain from picturing all negative outcomes his actions could produce.

Thankfully, Eduard rescued him, though his boss was not aware of it.

"Keep working Williams. Your shift is not over."

Relieved, though masking it with disappointment, Matthew said that he would be another ten minutes. He quickly dashed back from whence he came, disappearing around a corner created by bookshelves.

As one usually can't resist doing when a person of mild interest is within the vicinity of them, Kiku found himself retracing Matthew's steps while Alfred abandoned the store in favour of listening to music in the car. Feliciano vanished into thin air, it seemed. That was how he ended up eavesdropping on a conversation between Matthew and one of his co-workers, through the Romance Section. He even picked a book titled _Fifty Shades of Gray_ to give off the impression that he was actually in the book.

"Are those the figure-skaters that Nataliya has been talking about?" Toris asked, as Matthew once again, began stacking books on the shelves.

Toris had been watching the interaction as the pretended to catalogue the books that needed new copies to be shipped.

"Yes. I kind of wished they didn't come."

Toris tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Well, they just came in yesterday so they must be exhausted. I really hope that Alfred didn't force them, because I will kill him if he did."

"That Italian guy seems to be full of energy though."

Matthew dismissed Toris's statement.

"It's Feliciano; he's always full of energy. He doesn't count. The one I'm concerned is that Kiku. He seemed really uncomfortable and out of his zone. What was the worse was when Feliciano wanted me to join them for practice tomorrow."

"Did you accept?"

Kiku had accidentally opened the book in the middle of a sex scene, and promptly shoved it back into the bookshelf, not overall concerned if the cover was being bent.

"Of course not. I'm not a professional skater. There's a high probability that if I agreed, one of them would have been put in into the hospital because of me."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello guys. Sorry this took long. I finished my final exam today so commemorate the end of this school year, I decided to upload a chapter. Here you go! Enjoy

* * *

Feliciano remained in the shelter of a magazine shelf as he kept Kiku and the conversing Matthew within his sights as his fingers rapidly tapped the screen.

 **To: Francy Pants**

 **They're just too formal. Matthew doesn't give off the tell-tale signs of "love at first sight", but Kiku's interested (he was even blushing a little). I'm afraid that if they keep acting stiff around each other, the interest will die away. I tried inviting him to skate to us, but he kind of…..beat around it.**

A minute passed before his phone chirped in his pocket.

 **From: Francy Pants:**

 **Matthew has always been private with his emotions around strangers. He could have been exhibiting the "tell-tale signs" of interest, but since you know Kiku's mannerisms more than Matthew, you could have skipped over them. Matthew loves skating, so it's odd that he would refuse the offer.**

Feliciano fingers were flying across the screen that later on, when Alfred would bring it up with Matthew, he said that Feliciano's fingers were "flying across the screen".

 **To: Francy Pants:**

 **Could he be not interested in Kiku?!**

 **From: Francy Pants:**

 **Calm down. Matthew's has a tenancy of jumping to the worst scenario/conclusion a single bound. He's probably afraid of accidentally killing you or Kiku.**

 **To: Francy Pants:**

 **He's a good skater. I've seen him playing pond hockey with Gilbert and a few others. He won't hurt a couple of professional figure skaters on a huge ice rink.**

 **From: Francy Pants**

 **Well, tell that to him.**

"U-ummmm…"

Matthew's body jerked in response to the voice behind him.

"Oh…Kiku…I didn't know you were still here."

Kiku placed on foot in front of the other, crossing to Matthew.

"You didn't really tell us if you were going to come practice with us tomorrow."

Instantly, he could feel stress crawling up his neck burning his face. Shit. Just when he thought he was out of danger.

"W-ell…"

Matthew struggled to form the right words. They would understand if he a afraid of either killing them or ending their careers right?

Kiku's own anxious thoughts were meshing together, screaming in incoherent sentences in his mind.

 _Whatthehellareyoudoingyour'resuchanidtiotyou'regoingtoberejectedagainomigoshwhyishelookingatmelikethat!?_

"Well….you see…."

Matthew shifted.

"I'm not that good of a skater….I could accidentally hurt your or Feliciano and whoever is going to be training with you."

 _Did Feliciano put him up to this?_ Matthew mused

"Besides, I could be distracting to your training. And I don't think whoever is training you would enjoy distractions."

"Oh…yes. I can see that…."

Awkward silence.

"Well…." Kiku attempted again. "You're welcome to join us any time."

 _Dammit Matthew, look what you did!_

"There's a pond that we use to play hockey."

The words came out before Matthew could stop them.

 _What am I doing? Shut-up Matthew before you embarrass yourself!_

"You and Feliciano can join me if you want. I usually skate around nine in the evening. It may seem late, but it usually guarantees that the pond is not going to be used."

Kiku froze.

Well, he wasn't expecting _that_.

Feliciano from the background was smiling.

Matthew rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"That is…if you guys want to."

Feliciano, watching from behind the bookshelf, could feel the corners of his mouth rise until he was sure he looked like the Cheshire Cat.

 **To: Francy Pants:**

 **Matthew just asked Kiku on a kind-of, sort-of, maybe date. Ice skating on the pond at night!**

Click, click.

The position of the athletes we difficult to get a clear picture, but you could get enough a glimpse of their face to confirm it was them. Feliciano Vargas and Kiku Honda. What a treat!

Click, click.

Who was that unfamiliar boy with them? He was taller with blond waves. He knew that Feliciano had come out as gay and had the same boyfriend since he became famous.

Click, click.

He couldn't get a good position on the unknown's face. Not without exposing himself anyways. The paparazzi were considered to be ninjas. Killing from the shadows. One sort took lives and the other took the respect they had for themselves and the respect people had for them.

Click, click.

Yes, these would do nicely. Enough for numerous tabloids to make of it what they wanted. He didn't care what they did with the pictures. He was simply trying to make money.

* * *

Ludwig and Gilbert were side by side on the sofa, watching a rerun of a show whose title was unknown to them.

"Gil, you know Matthew better than anyone. Do you think that Matthew and Kiku would make a good couple?"

Gilbert spat the beer that he was drinking.

"Mind repeating that again?"

"Feliciano told me that Matthew and Kiku would make a cute couple. What do you think?"

"I think that there's no way that's going to happen."

Ludwig muted the television when the first of a series of commercials began to play.

"Why?"

"Well for one thing, they're both shy as Hell. Both of them would be afraid to make any move. Also, one's a figure skater and the other is a hockey player. Matthew's a brick-shit house, who doesn't realize his own strength. This man has made dents in helmets, shattered glass panes and at one point split a hockey puck in half. If he were to accidentally crash into Kiku or fall on him, it would be the end of Kiku."

"Hey, he may not look like it, but Kiku's rather tough as well. He could hold his own against Matthew. Besides, if there's not hockey pucks or sticks, then the damage Matthew could cause would be at a minimum."

Gilber paused for a moment.

"And let's not forget Kiku's galavanting around the world trying to participate in these competitions. Matthew's a student. There's no way he could ever make it to even a few of his competitions. Besides; long distance relationships never last. Remember Elizaveta when Roderich moved back to Austria?"

Silence.

"Why are we even discussing this?"

Ludwig sighed.

"Feliciano told me that he and Francis are planning to try and bring Kiku together."

"What?!"

"Apparently, Kiku has a bit of an interest and Matthew and Feliciano and Francis think it's their job to bring them together. To quote Francis from his text: "Ah. The budding of romance is always so beautiful."".

Gilbert sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Of course he's a got a little bit of an interest in Matthew. Who wouldn't? I mean I'm no homo but look at him! But this will end in nothing but disaster. Hearts will be shattered and one or both will end as a hot mess. Especially if Matthew doesn't return his feelings."

Ludwig hummed in agreement.

"Yes, I see what you mean."

Gilbert tossed his beer can in the nearest trashcan.

"I won't get involved with my best friend's love life, but I will get involved, if it means preventing him from getting hurt."

* * *

On the way back to Gilbert's house, there was no spoken conversations, as Alfred cranked the music so loud, that Matthew couldn't manipulate his voice to reach the desired volume. It was only worse when Feliciano and Alfred began singing along, in off-key voices. At one point, Matthew made eye-contact with Kiku a rolled his eyes. Kiku couldn't help but chuckle. Matthew turned and faced the window once more and didn't look back for the entire trip.

Soon, Kiku and Feliciano were dropped back off at Gilbert's house. Matthew moved to the front seat, waving as he did so. Alfred's fist stuck from where the window pane was supposed to be and performed his own variation of a wave.

"You should have been more sociable. Poor Kiku looked like he was about to drop dead." Alfred scolded, refusing to miss another opportunity to point out his brother's introverted tenancies.

"I am sociable. I've just been around too many people today. Besides, I couldn't hear, much less say anything. You and Feliciano singing way too loud, and way too off-key."

"What are you talking about? My singing was totally on-key!"

"I've gone deaf in one ear."

A short pause.

"But really. You should try to get out more."

Matthew turned from the window.

"I went to the rink, then went to school, and then went to work! I think I've been social enough for the day."

"Yes, but what about the other days? You just lock yourself in your bedroom and fiddle with Microsoft Word."

A look disbelief crossed Matthew's face.

"Writing Alfred, it's called writing!"

"Whatever. You spend more time on your computer than you do with actual people."

"Only because I'm actually doing something productive! What do you do? Sit in front of the television playing Naruto on the Xbox in Hinata's swimsuit mode."

"Hey! I'm productive! Besides. Hinata's hot. I'm sure Kiku would agree with me."

"Does he even know about _Naruto_?"

"He's Japanese. Of course he knows about _Naruto_."

Matthew exhaled loudly.

"Just because he's Japanese doesn't mean he knows what _Naruto_ is."

Alfred threw his hands in the air briefly, sending a jolt of panic through Matthew.

"It's anime! It's apart of their culture. Besides," Alfred cast a sideways glance at his twin.

"I heard the show through his door at Gil's house."

"Well, you could've just said that at the beginning."

"Nah. It's fun arguing with you."

* * *

In a hotel room just a couple miles away, a man received a phone call. Dark eyes widened and then narrowed.

Kiku Honda had been seen at _Chapters_ chatting away with a couple of unknowns and Feliciano.

 _Why would Kiku do something this stupid? He knows the paparazzi have been on his tail._

It wasn't the fact that he decided to go out into the public that bothered him. A celebrity couldn't be a hermit after all. They had to go out and prove that they were just like "you and me" or some bullshit like that. He understood that. It was the fact that he was talking with two unknowns. Kiku and Feliciano — well _Kiku_ at least had a sensitive profile. Known through the media worldwide as a rising prodigious figure-skater who was just beginning to make a name for himself. He needed to be seen with the right people at the right time.

No. This wasn't going to do.

Going through his contacts he began texting and dealing numbers. If Kiku enjoyed the company of people as much as he seemed, then he shouldn't be opposed of a few sit-down interviews or such.

He had worked too hard to get Kiku where he was today. There was no way that a little, ignorant boy was going to ruin what he created.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the late update, but I was visiting the U.S for three weeks and I wasn't allowed to to bring my computer. So, instead of my regular 1000+ word chapters, I wrote 2000+ word chapter this time. I do have a form of a social life other than writing fanfics you know! Now, if you will excuse me, I've got to update my Tauriel fan fiction before those fans string me alive.

* * *

Kiku immediately locked himself into his guest room when they went home, only saying a brief hello to Ludwig and Gilbert. Feliciano followed, wearing a smile that looked like it was consuming his entire face.

"What did you do?" Ludwig, sighed, before switching off the television. "You look proud of yourself."

"I think Kiku and Matthew are beginning to hit it off." Gilbertt looked uncomfortable before rubbing the back of his neck, while Ludwig fiddled with the remote.

"At first, Kiku invited Matthew to go skating with us while we practiced. He refused to do that, but he invited Kiku to go skating with him on the neighbourhood ice rink."

"And where were you at the time?" Ludwig inquired.

"I was watching them behind a bookshelf."

Gilbert nudged his brother's shoulder and jerked his head towards Feliciano.

"Umm…..Feliciano…" Ludwig began. "Are you sure that this…."pre-relationship" or whatever, is a good idea for Kiku and Matthew?"

An expression of utter surprise crossed Feliciano's face.

"Of course it is! Kiku's been lonely and Gilbert and Francis have been trying to get him hooked up since forever."

"Yes, but you and Kiku are a couple of globetrotters. Matthew's just a student. He wouldn't have enough money to make it to even one of your competitions! Hell, he doesn't even have a passport!"

There was a long pause.

"And we all know that long distance relationships never work."

* * *

Around five in the morning, the alarm on Feliciano's phone went off. If it wasn't for Kiku, who had just happened to be walking by his "room", the outcome would have been a broken iPhone in pieces on the other side of the room.

"Urrrrrhgggg…." Feliciano began groping for the phone on bedside.

"I have it Feli-kun."

"Turn it off Kiku…."

"No. We have practice. Remember what Takahashi-san and Moratti-san said?"

"You're cruel. Give it back."

"If I do that, you'll throw it against the wall…again. This would be your fifth time you've broken a cellphone."

"It's not my fault phones these days are so damn delicate. Do you remember those Nokia phones? Those are designed to last through the apocalypse."

Feliciano rubbed his eyes.

"How can he do they do to us, making us wake up so early?" Feliciano groaned, changing his topic of complaint to his trainer.

"Because we're athletes and we need to train a lot each day. We are professionals after all."

"I don't wanna be professional. I wanna sleep."

"Well you should've thought about that before becoming a professional figure-skater. Now get up."

Kiku turned off the alarm and flipped the switch on. When Feliciano pulled the comforter over his eyes, attempting to shield them from the horrid light, Kiku yanked it off.

"You should have gone to bed a like me when we got straight home instead of staying up to watch that movie."

"But it was a funny movie. How can you resist something like that?!"

Feliciano felt around the mattress, groping for his lost comforter.

"With the notion that I'm going to win this next tournament."

"Fine. You win. Now can I go back to sleep?"

Kiku glowered at Feliciano.

"Then I'll just get Ludwig to wake you up then."

Feliciano's eyes shot open and he was suddenly out of bed, snatching the nearest pair of skinny jeans to force himself into.

"Now now, there's no need for extremities!"

* * *

Walking around in the -10c, Matthew was briefly reminded of that Tim Horton's commercial. It was evidently winter, and the woman was walking downtown in a city Matthew could not identify. On an electric board the current temperature. - 10 degrees. Just like it was today. The woman smiled and continued walking. Unlike the woman in the video, she wasn't experiencing a windchill.

 _What the Hell were the creators thinking?!_

There were not as many people walking in downtown Montreal as they were in the summer. Those who usually walked were now compelled to take the bus or a borrowed car. Alfred had taken the car to Ludwig and Gilbert's place again. He asked if Matthew needed a drive to the University, but Matthew declined the offer. The university wasn't that far from their apartment. Matthew added that he had a higher cold threshold before leaving. That was before he went outside.

 _What the Hell was_ _I_ _thinking? Man I really need to start checking The Weather Network more often. Now I'm going to die of hypothermia because of my own stupidity._

Turning, the large building of the university came into view. _Thank goodness. I'll live another day after all._ Each intake of breath resulted in cold air wrapping around his lungs, stinging his insides. The exposed skin on his hands and lips were becoming cracked. Wait —- He licked his lips. What that blood?! Horrified, he brought his finger to his lip. His white fingers were smeared with what he perceived as almost black. _Great. Just what I need…_ Stretching out his left hand, his fingers wrapped around the cold metal, flinching immediately. _Alright, note to self:_ _Bring gloves and/or mittens next time!_ He yanked the door open and was struck with a welcoming blast of warm hair. _Ahhhhh….Heaven…._ Rubbing his hands, he slipped into the nearest bathroom marked male and twisted the hot-water. He sighed as the hot water flowed on his water.

"Matthew, is that you?

"Matthew twisted in response to his name. Toris poked his head through the crack of the half-open door.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Natalia is looking for you. She wants to know which is the best way to kill off a character."

Matthew could Toris shiver. Acid, knife or lead pipe." The colour that was returning to his skin with the warmth of the building drained away.

"She's got this uncanny ability to think up of the most twisted ways to end a human being's life."

"But that's universal among all writers." Matthew protested. "She just takes a few steps up."

"She reads a lot of Edgar Allen Poe in her free time."

"Ahhh." Matthew exhaled. "I see. It's better that she deletes people on paper than in real life. Man, can you imagine what the world would be like if she got ahold of the Death Note?"

"The….what?" Matthew waved his hand. "Forget it. You don't understand."

"Jump Kiku-san! That's it, keep it up!"

Kiku dug his toe pick in the ice and launched himself in the air. Upon landing, he leapt up, spinning again. This time, it was only a single axel.

"Your landing is still unsteady. Keep your knee bent. Again!" Kiku paused for a moment to pull his arm across his forehead.

"Alright, go and take five." The coach sighed. "We'll work on your landing in a bit."

Before exiting the ice, Kiku launched himself in the air. He threw his arms when he felt his leg waver once more as he landed. Feliciano narrowly dodged Kiku's pale fist. "Careful Kiku."

"O-oh….I'm sorry Feliciano. I didn't see you there."

"I see you have been having problems landing."

"Huh? How did you — " "I've been watching you." Feliciano put his hand on Kiku's shoulder. "Bend your leg and be confident. Don't hesitate or you _will_ fall. Have confidence in yourself. You won the last tournament, didn't you?"

"Y-yes but — "

"Then land like a winner with confidence. You're going to be fine."

Kiku snatched up one water bottle from the bench and squirted it into his mouth. Nearby, the common ringtone of one who possesses an iPhone began to sound. Kiku brought his eyes to the ceiling as he tapped the screen?"

"Yes Nakano-san?" Feliciano observed Kiku's expression change. "But sir…don't you think that I have been to enough interviews….people will begin to get sick hearing about me…About my win in Norway…really?" Kiku sighed. "I guess..if you insist upon it."

Kick's chest rose and sunk, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

Kiku's expression displayed as if he had swallowed something bitter.

"Interview."

"Interview?"

"Interview."

"When?"

"In a few days. In the evening."

"So?"

"So, I was planning to take Matthew up on his ice-skating offer in a few days."

"Choose another time. Matthew will be more than understanding. Did you confirm the plans already?"

Kiku shook his head.

"Good. If he didn't know it in the first place, then he won't be disappointed."

"I — I guess so…"

"We've got some time before the tournament. We'll have time to have fun yet."

* * *

"Matthew Williams!"

Matthew swallowed. A rather angry-looking Natalia was stalking towards him.

"How could you keep me waiting like this? Didn't Toris tell you I'm having a "character crisis"?"

"Natalia, you're only concerned about how painful someone can die."

"It's a crisis nonetheless. Now which one do you prefer? Acid, knife or lead pipe?"

"I know what the choices are, you don't have to remind me."

There was a silent exchange as Matthew removed his books and computers from his bag.

"I'm not planning to kill you off if that's what you're worried about."

"That wasn't actually a concern, but thanks for confirming that though. I just don't really like the images either of those choices bring to mind."

"Well, I was thinking about doing away with the acid anyways. I'm want more off the gory factor with blood spurting in many directions."

"Well, both the lead pipe and the knife will achieve that effect."

"Hmmm…." Natalia's brows furrowed and she brought her finger to her mouth. "You've got a point. But it's the feeling. Would the character enjoy the feeling of a blade plunging into a chest or the dull crack of a pipe smashing the skull to pieces."

"Wow. You are getting way too into this."

"Isn't it a writer's job to get into the bodies of the characters they're writing?"

"You do it too well."

Natalia folded her arms.

"We're getting off-topic. Which is it? Knife or pipe?"

"I enjoy the pipe. The way I prefer to kill people was to beat them into submission with a hard metal object that will suck their life-force with each time they're struck."

"It looks like I'm not the only deviant one around here."

"We're in a classroom full of writers. We're _all_ considered deviant."

* * *

When practice finally came to a close, Feliciano snuck behind Kiku slowly poured his bottled water on his head.

"Feli-kun!" Kiku spluttered, spitting out the water that flowed into his mouth. "What did you do that for?!"

"You practiced hard today. You looked so flushed and so sweaty that I thought that if you weren't cooled this instant, you would pass out from overheating."

"Feli-kun, we're at an ice rink and it's in the middle of winter." A thoughtful pause.

"It is isn't it?"

Kiku turned and rolled his eyes. A vibration of a phone could be heard and both Feliciano and Kiku groped for their phones. It turned out was Feliciano's. Kiku watched as he swiped his thumb across his phone and immediately, Feliciano paled.

"What is it?" Kiku demanded — well — demanded for Kiku anyway.

"Uh…someone caught you and Matthew chatting it up at _Chapters_."

"What?!"

Kiku snatched Feliciano's phones. The photo portrayed him speaking to Matthew. Matthew though wasn't facing the camera, so maybe people won't be able to recognize as easy on the streets.

"This is not good, this is not good."

Kiku must have repeated that sentence five times before Feliciano finally spoke up.

"Alright…this isn't as bad as it seems….You just have to revert back into a hermit for a while until the press calms their shit."

"But how…I've got that interview in two days."

"We'll just lock you in your room and let you out for feeding and bathroom breaks."

"Ha-ha. Brilliant." Kiku's voice was dripping in sarcasm; a tone opposing the monotone, politeness of his everyday speech.

"Well, at least we know that Matthew's going to be safe for now. There are many blond-haired men in Montreal and Montreal isn't exactly the smallest city in the world. But now we know that the paparazzi is trailing us, so we have to be more careful."

"I wonder how Nakano-san is going respond…."Kiku mumbled, putting his finger to his lip.

"He probably already knows." Feliciano said, slipping his phone into his back pocket."Don't agents receive this stuff like three days its been released?"

"He usually tells me an scolds me. Or else he behaves really passive aggressively and forces me to do certain things in the public to punish —"

Realization dawned upon him and in an instant, Kiku's own phone was out of his pocket sending a frantic text.

"What's wrong?" "Nakano-san had known this. He scheduled me a sit-down interview."

"So?"

"Feli-kun. I despise sit-down interviews. You know this."

"Oooooooh. Right."

There was a momentary silence.

"Oh well. You are already exposed to the public going to featured on television. So why don't we go galavanting around Montreal for a bit?"

"I don't think that's —" Kiku's sentence was abruptly cut short. "Come on! We'll hop in a taxi and investigate this city and get a decent idea on what Canadians are actually like."

"But aren't Matthew and Alfred Canadian? All we have to do is spend more time with them if we really want to know."

Feliciano simply shook his head.

"We wouldn't be getting the full experience."

"What do you mean?"

"Matthew and Alfred are dual citizens."

Kiku's brows furrowed.

"Dual…citizens…?"

"Yeah. Whereas I'm simply Italian and you're just Japanese, Mattie and Alfie have a shared nationality of the U.S and Canadian. They're citizens of both of those countries." Kiku's raised his eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Ask them to elaborate later on. We've got some exploring to do!" A few minutes later, a passerby happened to see the famous figure skaters Feliciano Vargas dragging Kiku Honda behind him. The passerby sent an excited text to her friend.


End file.
